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Vic Dupont
Joined: 01 Aug 2023 Posts: 2
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 23 7:58 pm Post subject: Scythe blade warped while peening |
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Hi there!
I warped my blade while peening it.
Several reasons could be the cause :
- it was my first time peening a scythe
- that scythe had never been peened, while used for decades, thus a lot of peening was required
- it had many dents, though not huge, and I tried to fix one until it disappeared
- I pounded on the center of the blade at some point
After doing some reading, it seems the most likely cause is that I pounded on the center of the blade, not only on the edge. I had seen that the edge was curling back on itself too much and wanted to straighten it. I thus pounded with the flat of the hammer, a bit everywhere, including in the middle of the blade. I think the warping appeared right after that.
Here are some pictures.
Do you guys think I might be able to straighten it?
Or is it that the cause of the warping might be that the metal was spread out too much, and thus won't be able to flatten?
Thanks a lot in advance for the help. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011 Posts: 15972
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Vic Dupont
Joined: 01 Aug 2023 Posts: 2
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 23 10:22 am Post subject: |
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Hi there!
Thanks a lot for the swift replies, and thanks for the warm welcome.
I am happy to introduce myself
I am Victor, from France. I live in the South of France but my family's house is in the East, in Jura, at 1100 meters of altitude.
I try as much as possible to live a life not depending on the outside. My goal is both to have less dependency on money and society, but I also find it way more fulfilling to know how things happen, to eat one's own food, to build one's own stuff etc.
Thus the scythe. I use it both to cut grass to cover our vegetables, and right now just to cut grass because here in Jura, it has grown so high
Regarding your precious advice, I'll start by filing it a bit, see if it gets back into shape.
Otherwise, Mistress Rose, how do you recking I should be able to straighten it?
Thanks again very much for the help and for the warm welcome! |
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gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 8924 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 23 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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hi i tried to post some thoughts earlier but i was having coms issues
dont use a grinder on the edge , a good half round file or "scythe stone" which are taperd abrasive stick type things is ideal, a vice or clamps helps to avoid wonky angles
work across and along the edge, at the same time slightly revolving the file/stone and trying to keep the edge evenly angled and thin and flat and strait
bad description, but dont work across the blade work along and across it in sections is the basic idea
if it feels right and looks right, and you still have your fingers, it is right
remove the frills and ragged bits of edge, try for a good-looking perfect curve that follows the line of the ridge from shaft to tip
then show us a snap, making it flat will be fairly easy and tapping a cutting edge is a bit tool and a lot of patience
we can go there later
ps scythes are rather soft metal with a cold worked hard edge and can be reshaped if the blade is twisted or bent etc with a tweak, press or soft knock in the right places fairly easily, tis more eye than force
they are made for field maintenance, be careful it will cut even before it is sharp if the edge is a decent basic shape
the metal i am playing with has a convex curve which is another level of shapes and angles at least your concave one will help you find the line if you get the angle and rhythm of fettling curved blades
they are a bit more tricky than strait ones, and most folk have no idea about them
secure the blade for filing, wrapping the bits you are not working on in newspaper or similar is a good health and safety tip that has been around for at least a thousand years, a folded strip will spiral around a scythe or katana a treat, secure the ends with tape or a tidy tuck
guess what im sharpening and polishing and restoring to respected and working? |
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18415
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 23 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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Good advice above.
Start by getting rid of the rough curly edge with a very coarse sharpening stone. That blade really is in quite a mess.
What kind of scythe is it ? Austrian or other (such as English) ?
Those are made of different metals, and are sharpened/peened differently.
If it is an Austrian-type scythe
Looks as though you have hammered far too hard and in the wrong places (such as the middle). A gentle repeated tapping is all that is required. Yes, it's cold forging, but really no need for the strength/power required for blacksmithing/hot forging.
When you have got rid of the messy ragged bits :
First pass : in a line along the blade edge of the scythe about 5mm in from the edge
Second pass : about 2.5mm in
Final pass : right on the edge.
In all cases, making sure the hammer stroke goes outwards towards the blade edge.
You are only working along the outermost 5mm edge of the blade. That's all you need to thin out.
Think of it like using a rolling pin to roll out pastry, but in one direction only (towards the edge). ETA : And just as the edge of pastry will become ragged if you roll it too thin, so will metal.
Peening is overrated, and mowers do it far too often. IMHO.
If mowing coarse grass, use the coarsest sharpening stone.
I like to mow my rough grass with a coarsely-sharp blade, so the smooth grass and weeds don't slip past the cutting edge.
Best of luck,
Last edited by gil on Fri Aug 04, 23 8:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011 Posts: 15972
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18415
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18415
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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